1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automated vehicle drying systems and more specifically to a new and improved pivotal blow drying nozzle and to methods of drying vehicles with and without using same.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Automated apparatuses for washing automotive vehicles have become popular as a way of quickly washing a vehicle. The systems have assumed numerous configurations including tunnel-type washes wherein a plurality of wash apparatuses are longitudinally aligned for washing a vehicle that is moved therebeneath. Another common form of automatic system is a gantry-type system where the vehicle remains stationary and the wash apparatus is reciprocated back and forth across the vehicle. In a gantry-type wash system, different wash operations are performed with each pass of the apparatus along the length of the vehicle.
In any automated wash system, however, it is desirable to dry the vehicle after it has been washed and rinsed. The conventional systems for drying vehicles are air blowers. Such blowers have assumed numerous configurations with the most common blowers being fixed to direct air horizontally at the sides of the vehicle and vertically downwardly onto the top of the vehicle. As with the washing of the vehicle, the vehicles are movable relative to the blowers so the drying occurs as the vehicle is moved past the blowers.
Most blow dryers for automotive vehicles are inefficient and therefore unsatisfactory in that the air being blown onto the vehicle is counterproductive with air from one blower directed in an opposite direction to air from another blower and as a consequence the liquid particles on the vehicle are not desirably removed from the surface of the vehicle.
More recently, rotary blow drying nozzles have been mounted on fans above vehicles so that concentrated fan-shaped streams of air are blown onto the vehicle either in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the vehicle or in a reciprocating pattern. With these blow dryers, there is again no conscience attempt to move the liquid particles off the surface of the vehicle but rather the air is simply randomly blown at the vehicle resulting in inefficient drying of the vehicle.
In a rotary blow dryer of the type described above, there is typically a large fan having a housing with an inlet and an outlet. The rotary nozzle is rotatably mounted on the fan housing at the outlet and rotated about an axis with a drive actuator mounted externally of the nozzle and fan housing. In one such arrangement, the actuator is connected to the nozzle with a belt that extends around the nozzle such that operation of the actuator rotates the nozzle through the interconnection with the belt. Such arrangements are relatively expensive and aesthetically displeasing.
In another system for rotary movement of the nozzle, a rotary actuator is disposed on the axis of rotation of the nozzle which is more simple and inexpensive as well as being aesthetically more attractive. Such an arrangement is described in copending application U.S. Ser. No. 10/177,034 filed Jun. 20, 2002 which is of common ownership with the present application. In the aforenoted application, a method of using the rotary nozzles is also disclosed in both a two nozzle and three-nozzle embodiment. In the two-nozzle embodiment, the nozzles are oriented so as to move the water particles toward a common side of the vehicle and this is accomplished with the air movement from one blower forming a relatively large angle relative to the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle and the other a relatively small angle. When the direction of movement of the blowers along the length of the vehicle is reversed, the angles of the blower nozzles are also reversed so the water particles are moved toward the opposite side of the vehicle.
In the three-nozzle embodiment, the center nozzle is positioned above the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle while the side nozzles are positioned above the sides of the vehicle. The center blower directs a conical stream of air at a 0° angle relative to the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle while the side blowers direct conical streams at an angle toward the center of the vehicle so that the three blowers cooperate in moving the liquid particles on the vehicle toward one end of the vehicle and off the sides of the vehicle.
Studies are continuously being made to improve the efficiency in drying vehicles and the present application is an example of accomplishments that have been made as a result of these studies.